When I was 32 weeks pregnant in the summer of 2009 (in fact, this was overflowing on my kitchen counter during my first meeting across town) and should have been doing normal third trimester things like eating jars of Peanutella by the spoonful and repainting the baseboard trim (which still looks awful, not that this will surprise you), I instead decided that I really wanted to write a cookbook. Because new mothers are swimming in free time (“new babies are always sleeping!”), I thought I would finish the book in six months; nine, tops. Stop laughing. Quit it.

Two and three-quarter years later, the “baby” is 2 1/2, I am the proud owner of 2 1/2 gray hairs and, oh, right: The book is done. Even though these have been the busiest and most overwhelming years of my entire life, they’ve also been the most exciting and inspiring. I am so proud of this book. I can’t wait to show it to you. I wish it were out tomorrow. But today, I have a few things to hold us over.

First, this above? That’s the cover. What’s that, you ask? It for a tiny recipe called tomato shortcakes. They’re savory. Those are biscuits with green onions. It’s a salad. There’s whipped goat cheese. My editor was visiting that day, and I was just fiddling around, trying to make us a little lunch. My favorite dishes happen this way.

The book has a back cover too. Those are called buttered popcorn cookies. They’re sweet and a touch salty, there’s vanilla and dark brown sugar and when they bake together, terrible things happen, such as the fact that they disappear quickly, and you have to make more.

There’s so much more. The book has 105-plus recipes, with chapters devoted to Breakfasts, Salads, Sandwiches, Tarts and Pizzas, Meatless Main Courses, Main Courses with Meat or Fish, and oh yes, a whole lot of Sweets, from Cookies to Pies to Tarts to Cakes and Candies and Puddings. And then, at the end, there are a couple drinks and a handful of party snacks. I encourage all cookbook authors, present and future, to include a cocktail recipe so that you’ll always have something that urgently needs “retesting” after an exhausting day.

The recipes are overwhelmingly completely and totally new — I was a little obsessed with making sure this book had value to everyone, even if you’ve never missed a site update, so only about 15 favorites were plucked from this url, essentially things that no book bearing the name The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook would be complete without. There are a ton of photos (at least one for each recipe), stories, and every single recipe includes ingredients in both cups-and-spoons and metric weights. When you open the book on your kitchen counter, it should stay open (it’s called lay-flat binding, and I specifically requested, nay, begged for it). And I really hope you love it.

And as of today, the book is officially available for preorder from just about every online seller:

(I know some of you smarties already found it and I love you for it. I just wanted to wait until the cover was ready to make a great big noisy fuss about it.) And I know what you’re thinking: why would I buy a book today that won’t be out until the fall? You could do it to secure any low price running right now, you could do it so you’ll get yours first (it will ship the second it’s released), or to buy gifts for any friends/mamas/brides who you think would be into this kind of thing. Oh, and if you do, we’ve created some downloadable certificates that you can slip in a card or envelope to let them know they’ve, obviously, got the awesomest friend/family member one could have. [Here’s one with the front cover on it; here’s one with the back, both are PDFs.]

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook will ship on October 30th, its release date, which I know seems like an eternity from now but it will hopefully give us a moment to take a big family nap (and of course, spend a lot of time right here) before we begin the Smitten Out Of The Kitchen Book Tour. The Canadian edition will be published by Appetite, Random House Canada’s awesome new food imprint, on the same date. A UK/Australian edition that will be sold throughout Europe will be published February 7, 2013 by Square Peg, an imprint of Random House UK. I will be touring the U.S. (and possibly Canada) this fall and I cannot wait to finally meet all of you. We’re still confirming dates and cities, so stay tuned to the Book page for any and all updates.

Finally, the book includes one of my favorite breakfast recipes, the kind of dish you can assemble the night before a big brunch, or just a lazy Saturday with your family, the kind of dish that it’s been killing me not to tell you about since I came up with it early in the writing process. I actually discovered baked French toast a long time ago, after a catastrophic brunch that involved me standing over a skillet, dipping and flipping slices of bread for an hour while my friends had fun without me. (Given, I was 24 at the time and my definition of “catastrophic” has changed, thank goodness. Now it involves the DVR not recording Mad Men.) Since then, I have baked French toast in a casserole dish and never looked back. This version, specifically, however, is my favorite. Piles of buttery, cinnamon and caramelized sugar-crusted toast fan out in a pan before absorbing a simple vanilla custard and baking into puffed, layered breakfast perfection.

For something that sounds so utterly decadent, it’s surprisingly humble when you slice it — the only sweetness clings to the cinnamon-sugar crusts and the custard is just milk and eggs — you know, until you douse it with a raft of maple syrup. Not that we know any people who would do a thing like that.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Whisk the cinnamon and sugar together in a small dish. Line two large baking sheets with foil. Place the bread slices on the baking sheets in one layer. Spread each slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of butter, then sprinkle each slice with one teaspoon of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Toast the trays of bread in the oven until the bread is golden, and until the cinnamon-sugar makes a caramelized crunch on top, for about 7 to10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and let the toast cool slightly.

Generously butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. (You might have a little butter leftover but I wanted to build in some leeway in case, understandably, you weren’t buttering your bread with precise teaspoon measurements!) Cut two slices of the cinnamon toast in half horizontally. Arrange the cinnamon toast down in two rows along the width of the pan. Begin with the bottom half of one slice of toast, then fan 7 more slices in a row, finishing with the top half of the slice. This ensures that those served the end pieces of the baked French toast are not stiffed with thin slices! Repeat with another 7 full slices and 1 halved slice of cinnamon toast in the second row. Whisk the milk, eggs, salt and vanilla in a medium bowl and pour evenly over cinnamon toast in baking dish. Let sit for 15 minutes (or overnight, if you’re preparing this ahead of time) so that the custard absorbs a bit.

Before baking, if you’ve got any extra cinnamon-sugar (you’ll likely have a tablespoon or two), sprinkle it over the French toast. Bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and golden and until no liquid seeps out of the toasts when they are nudged about in the pan. Cut into squares and serve plain, or with a dollop of plain yogurt and fresh berries, or maple syrup.

I adore the cover of the book so much I can hardly take it. Talk about drool worthy.. I’m 3 seconds away from smashing into the screen. And since I spent most of my youth shoveling in cinnamon sugar toast, this french toast is right up my ally.

Oh, squeeeee! I was going to ask for this for Christmas, but I don’t think I can hold out. Pre-ordering! (And please come to Canada. Please! We are lovely home cooks and have lots of maple syrup, but sadly little selection in butter.)

Pre-order is done! Oh I’m so excited. I almost can’t bear to wait, so I’ll just have to play my favorite “well since I’m not being productive anyway” game– the surprise me! button.
Please tell me you’re coming to Boston!!

This post just made my WEEK!! I’m pre-ordering right now, even though I have a feeling that I might receive several copies before my wedding in January :) Because, uh, I talk about your site all the time, and cook almost exclusively from it. Please consider a book tour stop in New Hampshire!!

Sooo excited to get your book!! Congratulations on getting it done! I feel like I’ve been waiting to get my hands on that baby for as long as you’ve been writing it. I’m also looking forward to making that french toast, it’s one of my absolute favorites!

Congratulations! This looks like the greatest cookbook of all time. I already have instances where I feel your blog is capable of mind-reading. Always fantastic food, and always posted at seemingly just the right time to hanker for such a food. Your book looks just as promising! (lay-flat binding! metric recipes! well-organized chapters! — Be still my beating heart!) Suffice it to say, I cannot wait to get a copy!

Yay! I’m so excited!! Congratulations on this incredible achievement. After following the progress all these months, how can I NOT pre-order?!! (not to mention, reading all those accolades is incredibly impressive!)

Mazel tov!!! Ordering question – is it possible to change your shipping address after the preorder has been placed? We’ll be moving and don’t want the new tenants to have to mail the book across the country. :)

The French Toast recipe looks fine BUT BUT the POPCORN COOKIES?? How imaginative – I’ll be satisfied if I ever dream up something so awesome in a million years. I am pre-ordering your book as we speak. And I can’t WAIT to meet you on tour – I’ve been a fan for so many years. Congratulations – all of your toil has finally paid off. We love your stuff, Deb!

Deb, I love the cover! Congratulations once again!
That lay-flat binding thing you mention is awesome. I didn’t know what it was of course until I read it here but I wonder why not all cookbooks are like that.
Thanks for this sweet sneak peek into your book and good luck with everything!

Cinnamon toast is our weekend ritual. My husband brings it to me in bed! It is just magical I tell you, it is his favorite thing to “cook”. Needless to say I can’t wait to make this for him. I am even more excited to pre order your book. I have tried dozens and dozens of your recipes and look forward to new ones, never missing a single post. The book is a must have.

Congrats! Looks like it will be fantastic. I rarely purchase cook books (I read so many blogs my “to make” lists are so long, but the MS has been reading mine lately and so this will definitely be next in my collection!

Congratulations! I was one of the “smarties” who found it a while ago. My amazon recommendations know me too well! :)
I remember when you first announced this and 2012 seemed so far away. Oh how time flies. Looking forward to the tour, hope I can find a spot to get my lovely book signed.

I can’t wait for your cookbook! Also, those popcorn cookies look & sound too yummy & I’m not sure if I can wait until October because I LOVE sweet & salty together & ohmygoodness those will be the first thing I make!!! Pre-ordering right now!!!

What a trip to be able to link to your own cookbook when publishing a recipe! Congrats, Deb. I cannot imagine how excited and accomplished you must feel. I, for one, have never anticipated the release of a cookbook nearly as much as I have the Smitten Kitchen cookbook. Please make sure to swing through Minnesota on your book tour!

Ohmygoodness, ohmygoodness! Congratulations.
Now then, I am having a bit of a dilemma, a cookbook quandary, if you will. The Barnes and Noble where the book tours usually visit when they come to Boston is conveniently located three blocks from my office. And I have learned the hard way that they usually impose a very strict rule that the author will only sign their book if it has been purchased in that store, at the event. So…Do I pre-order it now, or wait until October and your visit (which I’ve decided in my mind will definitely happen) to ensure I’ll own an autographed copy for my cookbook shelf? Also, I want to swoop my finger into the screen, dig down into the whipped goat cheese and lick it clean.

Montana — You have no idea how much I’d like to visit Montana. Manhattan is comparatively the Tiny Sky County

Canada — So glad you guys want this to happen! There’s a … pretty good chance. In fact, I’m sure the publishers are reading along right now to see if you guys want it too. ;)

UK — We have excellent UK news! The UK and Australian edition will be published by Square Peg, an imprint of Random House UK. They’re going to publish a hardcover version in early 2013. Anyone, anywhere will be able to buy it from online sellers, of course. (I will add this to the post as soon as my server starts behaving again.)

Yes! Come to Canada! Toronto, specifically! For my fellow Canadians, the book is available for preorder at chapters.indigo.ca though they need to sort out the listings as there are currently two, the first with the cover and a higher price listed unavailable, and the second with no cover, but a lower price, ready for preorder.

Congratulations, Deb! I pre-ordered your book in February, and as high as my expectations are, I have no doubt you will exceed them. (No pressure!) Your blog has been such an inspiration and a source for some of the best recipes I have ever tried. Thanks for all that you’ve done for those of us who love to cook!

So happy for you, Deb! You deserve oodles of success, and a big cocktail followed by a big nap. I can’t wait to get my own obsessively cooking hands on it. Hooray for big accomplishments. Congrats and enjoy every single second of everything to come.

I’m so excited for this book, there are no words. I’m so glad you demanded lay flat binding, and if this here blog is any indication, every recipe is going to be a show stopper. Whenever I make a new recipe and someone asks me where I got it my response is “Oh, it’s Deb’s.” Because clearly having read everything in your archives puts us on a first name basis.

loooooooooong time reader, first time commenter – just had to wish you a big mazel tov!! will have to bribe someone from the states to bring this book over to israel, as my kitchen all they way over in this part of the world has been producing your recipes for quite some time now. most notably, your chocolate peanut butter cake, made for my son’s 2nd birthday party almost 2 years ago, still gets mentions at.every.single.family.get-together. thank you deb!

YAY!!!! Congratulations Deb!!!! I don’t always get a chance to comment here, but your blog remains my favorite food blog and my biggest inspiration my my own kitchen blogging adventures ;) I am so excited for you, and I cannot wait to read your book!!! Gonna be pre-ordering ASAP, and I hope to get to meet you on your book tour!!!

Congrats! I’ll even drive 1.5 hours to Toronto if you come to Canada! Unless a Waterloo stop is a possibility (hah, I make myself laugh!) on the hypothetical Canada tour!

I really LOVE that the link under the recipe title says, “from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook”. The only thing that would have made it better (and hilarious) is if it had said, “Adapted (barely) from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook”. I do love your tendency to tweak!

Very excited to read about your cookbook and see the cover! Very, very happy to hear there will be a pic with every recipe and the book will lay flat!! Thank you for paying attention to all the details that are surprisingly important. : )

I am the cheapskate who has never bought a cookbook in her life, but there is NO WAY I am not buying the smitten kitchen cookbook! You are awesome, Deb – I think I cook using your recipes more often than I use my mom’s, and that’s saying a lot because she’s a fab cook!
Will pre-order today!

Congrats, Deb, on this amazing accomplishment. I cannot imagine writing a cookbook while pregnant and in the early days & years of new motherhood. My hat is off to you, and I bow down, hugely. You are amazing!

YAYYY!! congratulations Deb!Thanks for the lay flat binding and only including 15 recipes from the site since I have already tried and loved so many! Thank you very much for being such an inspiration and teacher to me as a cook and food blogger. Cannot wait to get my copy and to hopefully meet you when you come to SF!

Deb, so much to say! I love the cover! I am so excited for you (and me because I know this cookbook will be great)! Please let us know about the buying/autograph issue that Molly brought up. I beg, beg, beg you to come to Austin. Everybody wants to go to Dallas or Houston but we have better food. :)

Congratulations! The cover looks amazing! I already pre-ordered it! A lot of what I make comes from your site so can’t wait for the book to come out! I really do hope you come to Canada though! Im sure you have a lot of fans here! And…French toast that can be made the night before! Im all about that! :)

Congratulations, Deb! I am so proud of and happy for you and feel honored to have been an interwebs reader first :) Seriously can’t wait for the release! Make sure to book yourself a nice long spa day.. or week. You deserve it!

Oh, man. I’m a longtime reader of SK and have been waiting for this since the announcement….but obsessive? Really? My nephew really does have OCD, and while I “get it”, it’s just not funny for a tagline….

Congrats, Deb! I have been a longtime reader/stalked of Smitten Kitchen, and I am beyond excited for you! I’ve made so many of your recipes it’s not even funny, so you better believe I’ll be buying your book!!!

SOOOOO excited!!! I’ve been waiting…. and my friends are going to be super excited to come to dinner as i cook my way through it… and they will probably want to just have slumber parties so they can be here for breakfast!

Congratulations — I just preordered it and can’t wait! And my kids are thanking you in advance for this lovely breakfast recipe. I spoiled them a long time ago by making breakfast for them on school days. No bowl of cereal here! My friends make fun of me for it, but it makes the mornings go by so much nicer and less grumpy especially now that we are in Middle School. Plus it ensures me that my budding teenagers eat breakfast. This will be a hit! Your braided lemon bread is another breakfast favorite.

This is great news on a Monday…or any day! I’ve been reading and cooking and baking from your blog for what feels like ages and so many of my friends do too. I’ll be refreshing that book page for updates about the tour like I can’t help peeking in the oven when I’m baking bread!
Kudos to you! Now, go get that family nap.

Congratulations! Cannot wait for October. I baked snickerdoodles last night (from your archives) and still have some cinnamon sugar left over, now’s a perfect time to use it up. For any publishers/book-tour-schedulers reading, many Smitten fans in Austin, TX! :)

Yay!!! Thanks for all your hard work Deb!
I just texted the husband to tell him about the book – he adores your recipes (actually all my friend’s husbands do..) he frequently mutters happy expletives when you come out with new baked goods – since he eats them all and then forgets to exercise! Seriously, I can’t wait for your book. Please, please come to Canada (Calgary please please please…. Toronto and Vancouver always get all the fun!)

CONGRATULATIONS! this is my first time leaving a comment, but I’ve been following your blog for years! (Alex is a friend from grad school). I hope that you’ll make a stop in Seattle – I’ll make sure to let all of my friends know.

so very, very happy for you deb!
can’t wait to have it hang out on my beloved cookbook shelf!
[and as a newcomer, it will make all the other cookbooks in my overflow cookbook cabinet jealous.
too bad.]

Couldn’t Amazon have charged $25 for your book so we could all get free shipping, lol! Either way, I must have this book, and I almost never. It cookbooks because (unlike the web) they aren’t searchable. And I need to make this French toast ASAP!

Congratulations Deb! I can’t wait. The amount of recipes from your blog that have become staples in my diet is ridiculous… my hope is that the book will replace my laptop in taking the brunt of my sticky fingers and grease splatters:) I also must beg you to come to Canada! (Nova Scotia please).

I’m so excited about the new cookbook. I ordered it on Amazon back at the beginning of March and my account still says delivery around Christmas.The October 30th release date is a FABULOUS present. Thank you!

I’ve already placed my preorder WEEKS ago. (And I NEVER preorder. Consider it a huge compliment). And now that I see that tomato shortcakes, OMGYESPLEASE! The French toast looks good too — I have a savory version of baked French toast which I lurve, but am currently craving (3rd tri of pregnancy) cinnamon rolls, so this looks like quite the ticket.

French toast in a casserole dish…you are the QUEEN of baking! Congratulations on the cookbook – you have worked so hard and your talent is admired by so many people! I can’t wait to pick up a copy of your book!!

Yay!!!!! This book has been in my cart at Amazon FOREVER! I am so glad to see the book will not be a retread of past recipes (I already have several 3 inch binders more than full, sorted into section, of course).

I wait anxiously, Deb . . . October cannot come soon enough for me although I know you will be frantically busy once more. You are a success and deserve to experience that same success in your book. Food Network, next? 8-)

Pre-order? Done! Congratulations, Deb! I’ve been reading you, and benefitting from your wonderful recipes for a looong time. (“This is delicious! Where did you get the recipe?” “smittenkitchen.com, of course!”) I love the way you phrase things, your simple yet detailed descriptions of how to recreate your recipe, and the lovely photos (esp. Jacob!) Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Congratulations! We did it! I say we (with a wink) because certainly your readership has encourged you to take on this project..yes/no? Regardless, your choices have spawned my own so often that I feel like I’ve written my own recipes right along with you sometimes! This is not to say that I don’t follow yours most of the time, it’s just that you do inspire me to boldly go where I would never have gone before in the kitchen! I am so happy for you, Deb..and for us! We get a cook book! (Come to the San Jose area in CA…SF always gets all the attactions! grumble, grumble!)

I heartily agree with Gypsy! Pleeeeeeease come to Portland! You’d love it here (if you haven’t been already) and I must have a signed copy. Pre-order completed and am so excited I can’t even stand it. Straight out of college, with my first real kitchen, I slowly learned to cook by cooking my way through your blog. Your recipes helped me fall in love with food and each one is exquisite. Can’t wait to have an official bit of smitten kitchen in my own tiny kitchen:) Congrats on the huge accomplishment!

Ooooh, that “from the cookbook” tagline looks SO good! Congratulations.
Just a plug: Please come to Philadelphia! We have a great bloggy community and foodie community (and lots of overlap between the two) and we would welcome you with joy! Email me as things are falling in place if you are interested in a bloggity welcome!

I am so, so happy for you. I’ve been reading your blog from dang near the beginning and I’ll loved every minute of it. Congratulations, and many blessings to you and your family as you take a long deserved break.

Congrats on this amazing accomplishment! The blog is very inspirational…and now your book (PS The cover is beautiful)! You are proof of where a little passion and moxie will take ya.
I’m keeping fingers crossed for a Phila or Philly-suburbs visit.
I’d love to meet the genius behind Summer Strawberry Cake (the first recipe I made…) in person.
Pre-ordering today. Close enough to my 1st wedding anniversary too, so my husband will have the perfect gift for me. :)
Mazel tov!!!

Congratulations Deb, that is crazy exciting! I am definitely ordering the book asap, I love cookbooks and there is no way i’m missing out on yours! Also, i’m putting in a plug for a visit to Australia, its a long way to come, but we would love you for it : )
And this breakfast looks amazing, might give it a go next weekend.

Oh my goodness, people. I was out this evening, doing a panel, and just came home and saw all of these comments and that the book is #13 on Amazon and, guys, you really know how to make a girl’s day. It means the world to me that you’re not only so enthusiastic about the book but that you’d buy it months before you even get your hands on it. I so hope you’ll find it worth the wait.

Susan — Thank you! You have been an excellent source of inspiration and you always ask good questions. Also, I was JUST thinking the same thing. So funny! Cinnamon buns to announce a bun in the oven. Cinnamon swirl on the newborn monkey’s head. And now this. By the way, for those of you who like a fine cinnamon-sugar crust on things, there’s a dessert that’s just… simply one of the best things I’ve ever baked that’s not Jacob Henry. I hope everyone puts them in their cookie tins this December.

Hi Canada! — I oops-ed earlier and forgot to add the preorder links for the Canadian editions. I have since added them (here and on the Book page linked from the sidebar). One is an Amazon list and the other is for Indigo. The cover images will be up there shortly. And thank you! I hope we’ll all get to meet in person this fall.

Maya — Aaah, the book isn’t actually “done” — I should have said “mostly,” heh. The book is still in edits. We have another couple passes to go (passes = editing rounds) and they’re putting the finishing touches on the flap and gathering blurbs. In June, it goes to the printer and, from there, it will take 3 months to get it into warehouses. They aim to have books in warehouses a month before the release date, to build in a margin of error. Lots of information, right? Book publishing is a slow process. But, I hope, totally worth it in the end.

Cenk — Whoops it is! NOT an auspicious sign, huh? (I actually don’t have the manuscript so had to pull this recipe from a first draft that had clearly not been copyedited yet! Nevertheless, I will be kept up at night imagining mistakes like this that a copyeditor might have missed.)

Deb, congratulations!!
I love you
but
you are mean.
Yes. I said it. Awesome, but a little mean.
For how can I even thinking about making French toast when there are tomato! shortcakes! starting at me with their whipped! goat! cheese! from the middle of the post? And I can’t have them until fall when tomatoes are over (not that that will stop me, I reckon). Meanness notwithstanding ;) hope we see you in DC for the tour!

Ohhhh my goodnesss…… THANK YOU for specificially requesting the book lay flat. You dont know how many times ive gotten batter on my books while trying to reopen them mid-baking. Maybe this cookbook will actually stay clean!
Cant wait to get this <3 Congrats on finally finishing!

I have to say, you have impeccable timing. It’s being released right as I’m finishing my board exams (God willing!), at the very end of 4+4+7 years of schoolin’. Just pre-ordered it as my treat! (Ok, well, it’ll be PART of my treat.)

AAAHHH!!!! It looks amazing! I cannot wait to get my paws on it and start cooking, and it will arrive just a week before my baby does in November, so I have a week before the newborn craziness starts to get through as many of these fabulous recipes as possible! So excited!!!

Deb, congratulations! I’ve been reading your blog for a while and enjoy your recipes. I am really looking forward to having the cookbook. The cover looks great and thank you for insisting on a lay-flat binding!

I cannot wait!!!!! If I weren’t in my house by myself, I would be jumping and yelping for joy. And since the dog is the only one here, even if I did happen to jump up and down by myself, he wouldn’t tell a soul :]

Congratulations, Deb! So excited for you! For me! For my BELLY! Absolutely preordering when I get home (checking Smitten at work is totally kosher in my book, but I suppose I need to draw the line some where :D). Can. Not. Wait.

Also, just moved to Denver from DC. Please tell me you are coming to the middle of the country. Please don’t make me fly back to DC to get this bad boy signed. Because I will.

The book looks amazing. I’m heading over to pre-order in 2 seconds. But first–oh man, french toast. We tried to make one of the other baked french toast recipes this weekend and I wish Wish WISH this had been up. I know what is for breakfast next weekend. Congrats on the book!

I’m SO SO SO excited for your cookbook to come out!! Every recipe on your site is reliably awesome, and I give you major kudos for all the time and work you put in to developing recipes that aren’t on your site– it is so appreciated!!

Hi Deb — I’m a first time commenter and long time reader. I just had to post to tell you congratulations. The front & back cover photography looks fabulous. You have no idea how inspiring you’ve been to countless (silent) readers like me over the years. I’m actually in culinary school now after rediscovering my own love of the kitchen thanks to blogs like yours. I can’t wait for your book and hope you swing by Asheville, N.C. on your book tour. Congrats again on your hard work.

Yay! Oh my gosh I’m so excited. I love your site so much, I can’t wait to receive your cookbook. My friends and family will be very grateful too. Looking forward to the sneaky photos of Jacob too! What a beautiful little thing.

I’m so proud and excited for you that just reading this post had me tearing up a little. I hope I can get to one of your stops on the book tour (Boston/Providence please). Congratulations, looking forward to the cookbook’s new rcipes. I know when I first started looking at food blogs yours was one of the first I found, you had “gourmet” ideas but with directions that I understood and could follow, thank you.

Beautiful! I can’t wait to get the book. I love that your distinctive countertop is visible on the book’s cover. Since you can see it in most of your food shots I don’t think the book would look right without it.

I can’t wait to get the book in my hands and hope that I get a chance to meet you on a San Francisco leg of your book tour, Deb. I love the cover! Give me French Toast, Tomato Shortcakes…everything! Three cheers.

Congrats on all your hard work. I am an avid reader and admirer and first time commenting. I have referred your site to many friends who are now are now fans as well. I adore your recipes, stories, attention to detail and pictures. Hugs to all you do.

Pre-ordering: done. I can’t WAIT to get the book – it’s released four days before my birthday, and I can’t think of a book I’m more excited to read! And I second Sarah’s comment (#219) – PLEASE come to Chicago!!! It’s such a beautiful city, and so full of good food – and clearly also full of people would loooove to meet you.

SO excited!!! Come to Austin, it’s fabulous! I’m not going to bother with hints, as my husband doesn’t take them, I’m just going to tell him the book is ready for pre order. I’m sure he’ll be right on it as he loves your recipes as much as I do.

yay! the server is working! You know why it was crashing, right? Because you’re awesome and everyone was sooo excited to read more about this “book preview” in the title. and maybe some people were also interested in the french toast – and who wouldn’t be, until they saw the goat-cheese-tomato-biscut goodness?

Anyway, congratulations! I’m sure it was a TON of hard work, and even though I was going to ask for it for Christmas or my birthday, I’m 99.99% positive I can’t wait that long. If you come to the SF Bay Area, can you please bring my favorite blog-baby-boy?

Wooohoooooooo!!!! Congratulations – so thrilled for you!!! The book looks gorgeous and I can’t wait to try the recipes in it. Meanwhile, there’s a chance I may be moving in the next couple of months so I don’t know where to ship my pre-order!!! GAH!!

Hooray, hooray! Hooray for you for completing the book! (My husband just finished a book six years in the making so I know what an anguished process it can be.) And hooray for all of us who get to benefit from your creativity and obsessiveness! Off to order …

PREORDER PREORDER PREORDER….. HOORAY!!! Congratulations, Deb! I’ve been waiting with bated breath and a a rumbling stomach for your book – I’m so, so excited to get mine in (very early) November. How appropriate that it’s launched in your (and my) favourite cooking season. I’m absolutely delighted for you. I usually don’t comment unless I’m asking a question about a recipe, or letting you know about recipes of yours that I’ve tried out, but this time (sorry) I couldn’t help myself. You’ve really achieved so much and reached so many people from all around the world with your stories, recipes, humour and your inspiring outlook on life in general. I don’t mean to be terribly corny, but THANKS! (book tour to Ireland would be greatly appreciated… but I’ll understand if it’s just a tiiiiny bit too far)

Deb, I am so very thrilled for you! Well done!!!!!!!! I cannot wait to have your book in hand….I am in the Philippines so hopefully Amazon will let me pre-order. Your recipe for Babka is how I found you online and I have followed you ever since. It is the only recipe I have found that is closest to the babka in my mind from when I lived in Miami. ..I couldn’t be happier for you!

Congratulations! I’ve been a long time reader of your site and have been waiting for your cookbook. I am going to pre-order it now. Lay flat binding? Wow! You really did think of everything. Hope to see you on a book tour in SF.

Yay, finally! I’m so excited for your book that I’ll probably preorder it myself rather than wait for someone to give it to me as a gift (it has been promised by both my mum and my boyfriend). Allow me to chime in and request that you please please PLEASE come to Canada! Specifically, make it out west to Vancouver and Calgary. Too often authors and artists think that Canada involves only Toronto and maybe Montreal and this is pretty tiresome for the rest of us. Regardless, congratulations and I am super excited to one day have a copy of your book in my hands.

YEAH!!! I’m so excited for your cookbook :) I love love love your recipes and have been waiting anxiously for this post. Congrats on such an awesome thing! I hope your book tour includes a stop in Denver!

Congratulations to you, and happy days lie ahead for us! I am so so excited to get down with your book. This website has made me a better baker (UNDERSTATEMENT) and more confident kitchen person all around. I can’t wait to see what you’ve got in store for us!

Also: Canada! Don’t stop at Vancouver though. Come all the way west, friend!

The book looks so beautiful. You have a real talent for details ( the layflat binding, for example). It’s the small things that show how much you care about quality in everything you do. Hope you come to Canada. The east coast is not as cold and snowy as you might think, and just a short flight from NYC. Can’t wait to get my copy.

Woo hoo! Deb, I’m so excited for you. I’ve cooked many of your site’s recipes – discovered my favorite chocolate cake, made mango curd for the first time, on it goes. You rock, as does this site, and I can’t wait to get my paws on the cookbook! Congrats again.

Yay – I’m really happy for you! The book looks fantastic. You are my go-to-site now for everything, so it’ll be great to have a paper version of you (well, your great recipes and wit and wisdom) to lay flat on my countertop (totally love the lay-flat feature).

I was so thrilled when I first stumbled on your site years ago (tx to my sister), that I have to admit I am weirdly nervous that THE WHOLE REST OF THE WORLD is about to become wise to you and your awesome site. Please, please reassure us that you’ll keep posting recipes and hysterical and touching essays about food and family and everything else, even after you have your own show on cable, and are putting your name on a line of cookware, and opening a restaurant. We’d miss you too much!

Yay! My husband is a writer so I know first hand what an enormous process this is. HUGE mazel tov on this amazing accomplishment! I just preordered and CANNOT wait for it to arrive! I couldn’t be happier for you, Deb. After years of reading your site and making so many of your recipes, I do feel connected to you and really take joy in your success.

I was so excited made the recipe to go with tonight’s salmon– my wee boy who is a bit under the weather loves french toast and this version did not disappoint! Can’t wait for the cookbook– Thanks for sharing.

finally!! been patiently waiting 2 3/4 years for this announcement and will continue to wait patiently for october 30th. this will be the book that breaks my habit of just turning to the internet (aka your website) for a no-fail, awesome recipe. congrats!

I know your comment guidelines say not to duplicate stuff–don’t ask questions that have already been answered! Despite the hundreds of happy congratulatory messages here, I can’t help bringing coals to Newcastle–congratulations. I hope you swing by the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, MA. And coincidentally I just came up with my own baked french toast fave–very similar but includes apples–this past weekend.
I’ll be ordering this!

Deb– CONGRATULATIONS!!! So, there is currently a movie out which implies Ann Arbor is NOT a FOODIE TOWN which is a bunch of b.s. So, you get your little family to come here and stay for a spot… enjoy a nice football game… Jacob can come play with my son while you go to Zingerman’s without distraction… and then a book signing at our small independent. ‘kay? You know you want to come here… you have lots of friends here… I’ve checked/ bragged/ linked/ logged/ etc…

i was buying something on amazon yesterday (underwear, all of things) and when i went to check out, your cookbook popped up. i ordered a copy for myself, went back and ordered another copy for my favorite niece, and then went back for the third time and ordered one for a christmas gift for a new bride. i’m sure i’ll think of at least ten more people i should have bought it for! congratulations. i check your site every night before i go to bed….my most favorite recipes have always come from you. thank you!

What wonderful news, I can’t wait to get it. I was just talking about you on my blog the other day. Everything I have made from your site is amazing especially all your baked goods my husband loves your cookies and I’m actually craving some carrot cupcakes right now I may have to make them again soon

Perfect. I know exactly what I’m getting my mom for Mother’s Day, and what I’ll be buying myself as a belated happy birthday gift for the end of April :) Is the Kindle version of the cookbook compatible with the iPad? Congratulations Deb I can’t wait to sit down and dive into this one :)

OMG I am so excited for your book! And the tour! I so hope you are coming to/near Pittsburgh! The french toast looks amazing and I will certainly be trying it the next time I have a morning brunch so that I am not stuck glued to the skillet while everyone else has fun. (Has everyone done that in their early 20’s?)

Just wanted to add that I love the website, recipes that are consistently awesome, Jacob (I have a 2 year old who is a month younger), and am sure that the end of October will take forever to get here now. Am I a bad mom if I buy the book for my son? Just kidding, that would mean that one day he might leave with it. Congratulations!

It’s unlikely that you’ll visit the culinary and literary backwater I call home, or even the rural retail suburbia I think of when ‘going into town’ but I do hope you manage to fit a few small towns in your tour, just the same. :) I’m reasonably certain you’ve got fans everywhere.

Just wanted to throw it out there that you MUST come to Seattle on your book tour! It’s not only a food paradise, but you have a lot of fans in the great Northwest… Thanks for the book preview although it makes me even more impatient!

Congratulations! It looks delectable and even though it never occurred to me that I would ever pre-order anything (because that’s just not what I do – I get books from the library) I am going to pre-order this from Powells because I love your site so much.

Yay for the cookbook! I’m headed over to Amazon right after this to pre-order. In a world of food blogs, I don’t have much use for just any old cookbook these days, but I’ve been waiting for the smitten kitchen cookbook forever! (no dig on how long it’s taken – I’ve got a new baby too and the bathrooms that just can’t seem to get clean no matter how long she sleeps!) Super excited to see what new treats are in store!

I already have it requested on my amazon wedding registry ; ) You and your recipes will make me (have already) eternally popular at family potlucks. Thank you and can’t wait to drool over it and hopefully meet you in Northern California!!

Are you aware that at this very second…seriously,RIGHT NOW…you are #13 on Amazon’s bestseller list? And, ahem, not of cookbooks, but #13 of ALL books. It’s Fifty Shades, Hunger Games and then you. Which means you officially my hope for humanity. Congratulations!!!

ohhh congratulations! i can’t wait for you to come book touring to the west coast! be sure to hit portland! in the mean time, mmmmm this looks like the best baked french toast i have ever seen (and yes, i’ve seen a lot :)).

Omigosh! Huge congrats to you. I’ll be first in line when you hit San Francisco. Can’t wait! Smitten Kitchen truly changed my life when I first discovered you almost 2 years ago, entranced by your Tomato and Corn Pie. It just keeps getting better and better. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Wow, thanks for the recipe! I can’t wait to try it out! Such wonderful news about your cookbook, and it really looks like you’ve put huge effort into getting something for everyone in there. I couldn’t be more excited about it, and can’t wait to have it in my kitchen!

Wow oh wow oh wow. And a big thanks for listing on amazon.ca for those of us in Canada – and yes please come visit. The front and back cover are surely enticing enough to buy the whole book – long may the sales continue. And my goodness, how big your other baby is getting! (And by the way – it did take me a while to stop laughing at the idea of your free time with a newborn….I remember someone asking me what I was going to do with my days when I was off with the baby…)

Wow. It looks fantastic, can’t wait to get my hands on it in October. I already have it pre-ordered. I just know it’s going to become my favourite cookbook, just like your site has become my FAVOURITE cooking blog. CONGRATS!

Looks and sounds exactly like our English bread and butter pudding! Quite the decadent breakfast.. (This is coming from a person who warmed up some leftover bread and butter pudding for breakfast yesterday – not feeling quite so guilty now!) Congratulations on the book!

Herzlichen Glueckwunsch!
I love your site and your friendly and funny way of letting me, a total stranger from the other side of the Ocean particpate in your life and cooking! Hope you come to Germany, too…let me know any time if you need help organizing a tour :)
Viele liebe Grüße!
Caro

I can’t even imagine what it feels like to have completed your very own book but I sure know how excited I am to devour it! I have been reading this blog for about a year and I just want you to know that it’s always so delightful to read and your pictures are always beautiful :) whenever I’m in need of a recipe that includes a certain ingredient you are the first person I check!
Would love to have you come over to Australia! xx

“value to everyone” ? Seriously, who was expected less from you? Over the years I’ve pretty much lost interest in printed cookbooks because I enjoy and rely on the online reader feedback for recipes, but I’m absolutely sure that your book will deliver. You are an amazing woman and a terrific cook with a wonderfully curious mind.

Many, many thanks for the many, many ‘freebies’ I’ve tried, ALL of which delivered.

A huge congratulations from Sydney Australa. I feel totally compelled to write my first post on your site to say THANK YOU and that you absolutely deserve this. You had me years ago – one summer day, back home in New Zealand, when a punnet of frozen raspberries stared me in the face and I googled raspberry and cake. I’ve never looked back and look forward to each and every post with your awesome recipes (everything works), stunning photos, aided by your wit and great prose. The NYC vignetes and the cute pics of Jacob are an added bonus.
Prior to knowing there was an international edition, I had sworn my US-based sister-in-law into buying me, any book you published.
Thank you for your humour and wonderful, generous blog. I look forward to the Australian edition. Please, please visit us down under and we’ll throw a “shrimp on the Barbie” in your honour! xoxo

Hi Deb,
I am a long-time reader (& cooker), though I’ve never commented. But I just had to write and say CONGRATULATIONS!!! A cookbook – what a huge achievement! Well done you! I will be pre-ordering immediately and will look forward to October.

On another note, all my best cake recipes are yours. But I’ve kept this secret well hidden, so as to garner all the praise for myself! But on Sunday I arrived at a friend’s house for brunch, only to find your butterscotch banana crepe cake on the table. My heart sank, my secret was out. And now with the book, I’ll really have to admit that none of the glory is mine and start sharing you with the rest of Australia. The recipes are always so good though, that it will be my aboslute pleasure to share you (because really, it’s been selfish to keep you to myself!).

Congratulations on finishing your cookbook, Deb – what an achievement!! Can’t wait for the book to arrive in Canada. Have been looking forward to purchasing this since you announced you would be writing it!

Hi Deb
I just pre-ordered just like the rest of the world, the price has dropped so if there is some pre-order volume algorithm thing going on at Amazon, your book is definitely moving the dial. I’m so happy for you and me and those who will be eating my cooking based on your book. My first thought is “why do we have to wait so long?” and then my next thought is “something to look forward to”. Congratulations to all of us and especially to you.

I always make a baked french toast as my go-to for brunch. I can’t wait to try your version. Now for the back cover. Cookies and popcorn? YUM! Usually when summer ends my family resists getting back to school, schedules, homework . . . At least this year we have your cookbook to look forward to. Thanks!

Can’t wait to buy it! I do want to wait and support our local independent bookstore – “The Twig”. Please come to San Antonio and/or Austin! You have been an inspiration for me to cook “real food” with love for my hubby and daughter. Love your site and you!

AWESOME!!! WHENEVER I need a recipe for something specific I ALWAYS check your site first! I say if Deb made it, it’s safe. Your recipes are always easy but yet fancy enough for me to tackle. I hope you come to Columbus, Ohio for your book tour, I would so love to meet you!! God bless you and your new adventure!

Congrats! It seems obvious you have worked so hard, and it is all paying off. You have singlehandedly brought me into the kitchen, and your recipes have been mini-therapy during a transitional year for me. I can’t wait to get and share the book. Enjoy this amazing time!

Congratulations! In addition to being excited about getting the cookbook, I am thrilled for you! I am feeling almost maternal pride in your success! Even though I don’t know you, you have a way of presenting yourself that makes me feel as if I do. I have been rooting for your success since I stumbled upon your blog however long ago that was. You should be so proud of yourself! I know how challenging it is just being a young mom, and then cooking, blogging, and writing a cookbook on top of it. You could definitely be called an over achiever! I’m off to Amazon to order a copy for myself and one as a gift for my daughter and daughter-in-law to be. What a great gift! Your photos are always beautiful in addition to delicious recipes.
Gerri

Congratulations! As a huge fan and avid SK recipe user-er, I cannot wait to purchase my own copy (and gift!!!) your new book. I absolutely love that you’ve included the kitchen counter on the cover. It wouldn’t be the same without those familiar black/gray/white blue specks. :) Okay, so when does October get here already?

Am buying this for myself and one for my daughter, who loves adventurous food forays and is getting married soon. Owning this cookbook will brings us wonderful original recipes and the special Deb juju into our kitchen.

Congratulations! What an accomplishment and i can’t wait to see it. Sounds fabulous! The french toast recipe is one of my favorites that i make all the time for brunch. The difference for me is that is also make the cinnamon bread and then it is heavenly. Going to pre-order now!

Congrats!! Here in Vancouver Canada I have been waiting patiently for your book release. I will pre-order it later today. Every single recipe I have made from your site has been complimented like crazy!! I have also learned SO MUCH about cooking and baking it’s unbelievable. And on my birthday this year my mom looked on here to find something to make for me! I truly hope you are able to come to Canada on your book tour! I will be there with bells on! Also, I can’t wait to get the book!!!

Congratulations, Deb! It looks ‘yummy’. The French toast looks yummy too! I will be pre-ordering and I hope, if you consider a tour in Montana, you’ll come to Missoula, a place where independent book stores and independent cooks both live and thrive!

Congratulations Deb!! I’ve been reading your blog since 2006 and love it very very much :) I do have an important question for you though. The first thing I do when I come here is look for the Jacob pictures. Are there any in the cookbook? (regardless, I’m still buying the book but just wanted to know!)

Binsy — Several! He was also thisclose to being on the back cover, but got bumped for cookies. Please don’t tell him. Well, actually, as long as he got to eat one of said cookies, he’d probably recover from the news quickly.

I am so very, very excited for you!!! (Even more excited than I am to receive the cookbook this fall.) Please visit the Southwest!! I’m in El Paso, and I would be willing to drive as far as Albuquerque…

I was already in love with your blog – you hooked me with the spice jars post (I have the freaking Martha Stewart mailorder huge seventy something spice tins – NO WAY the Big M cooks with those!?!? They STINK!) and then I was completely sucked in by your amazing, utterly divine recipes,your lovely posts, and a huge measure of admiration that you were doing this out of a kitchen that might be less than ideal.

This morning (having a two and a half year old, and a 10 month old, trying to struggle with a home business myself) this comment, made me laugh SO hard…’ Because new mothers are swimming in free time (“new babies are always sleeping!”)….Stop laughing. Quit it.’ I almost, just almost, sprayed some coffee onto my keyboard. You are hands down, my favorite ‘food’ writer!

Absolute best to you, all the luck in the world with this cookbook, and the cookbooks that are sure to follow!

Congratulations! Look forward to seeing your masterpiece. Thank you for the flat book binding. I hate it when I have to “break” the binding to get a book to lie flat. What a great recipe. I just finished eating the last of a large, very large (I ate the WHOLE thing) bread pudding I made with stale challah bread cut into cubes. (So good.) I usually make my bread pudding with stale croissants torn into medium pieces. (I’ve seen a recipe that uses stale chocolate croissants — whoa, baby.) When I have stale bread I still crisp it in the oven before using. I think it absorbs the egg mixture better that way. I never thought to use cinnamon toast. That’s one reason I keep coming back to your blog — new ideas. A suggestion: I keep a small jar filled with cinnamon sugar. Just pour in some sugar, add cinnamon to taste then shake, shake, shake. Good luck with the book tour!

Congrats, Deb! Thanks for the link to the pre-order, I cannot wait to get the cookbook. I’m so glad it will be out in time for xmas as well as it will make an excellent gift for friends. Thanks for all of your hard work – your recipes are fantastic!

Cheers to you Deb! A big hearty congratulations~ Such a HUGE accomplishment!
Your gorgeous images grace the walls of my kitchen for inspiration, and you can be sure your cookbook will be front and center come October 30th. Thank you for all your work ~ cant wait to meet you in SEATTLE :)

Deb, Congratulations on the book! I was so excited to see that you put the link in to order it! I hope you make it to Vermont soon! There’s nothing quite so special as having cookbook autographed by the autor! Vermont is close to New York and we have the most amazing foliage here during the fall (hint, hint). Thank you for sharing your talents with us!

Wow, I am so looking forward to getting your cookbook. You are an inspiration. My son and I love to cook from your blog – it is quite something when you can inspire a 15-year-old boy to cook – thank-you!
And congratulations!

I know a few of us from Wyoming that would pile in the car to go get books signed if you came as close as say, Denver or Salt Lake? I know few artists that visit a state with a mere 500K people, but hey, a 4-5 hour drive is doable for us!!!!
(Now if only I can keep my friend from pre-ordering the book before her birthday in September….)

whew, took me an hour and a half to get down to the comment box but worth the wait: Hooray for Deb and happy day for all her fans! Please come to Rhode Island so I can kiss the baby and you can sign my book! You are part of our family.

CONGRATULATIONS! I have been a huge follower of yours and consistently sing your praises both for your blog’s prose/photos and your recipes! I WILL pre-order and thank you for the amazing holiday gifts…..you little elf you! Can’t wait to see where you land on your Smitten out of the Kitchen tour. Upstate NY is dying to meet you! Come out and play!

Deb,
Congratulations! I know I will be ordering this today and anxiously awaiting the end of October! Seeing Powell’s on your list of sellers, I have my fingers crossed that I will see you at the downtown Powell’s in Portland soon! You and your recipes I cannot get enough of ever! This book should be a best seller! I am so excited for you! Great job!

Congratulations!!! I have been a quiet admirer of your website for a while now – smitten kitchen is hands down my favorite food blog online and I can’t tell you how many delicious recipes I’ve made of yours. Thank you so much! I look forward to getting my hands on your new cookbook.

Congratulations!!! It sounds like you’ve really put a lot of thought and care into your cookbook… love how you insisted on flat binding! Also love that the photo, especially for the covers are from your kitchen and not some studio shot. The book feels familiar and comfortable before you even open it.

Oooh, that’s so exciting!!!! I cannot wait till your cookbook is out. I think I’ve pre-ordered it, but I also think that Amazon will plunk it into my shopping cart and not ship anything else until then …. have to check. Anyway, hurrah and yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Deb – your cookbook looks beautiful! I’m SO excited for it to come out in the fall. Any chance you might come to Vancouver, BC? We would love to have you on the West Coast of Canada! Just a quick trip from Seattle :)

I am so so so excited to read your book! My sister and I talk about it frequently and can’t wait! I’m desperately hoping that your tour brings you to Vancouver, Canada so that we can help you celebrate in October.

congratulations deb!! just pre-ordered the book, I can’t wait to get it! I’ve been following your blog for years now (you had me at seven layer cookies)!! Wishing you all the best in this exciting adventure! :)

My goodness, people, thank you. I am, for once — possibly the first and last time in my chatterbox life — speechless. Every morning after I drop Jacob off for school, I pick up ingredients, coffee, come home and catch up on comments. TWO AND A HALF HOURS later, I just finished and have never felt so humbled and awed by your enthusiasm. Thank you.

I am going to get to work on the next recipe now, however. This blog ain’t gonna update itself. ;)

P.S. — I added to the Book page a full count of the vegetarian recipes in the book — it’s a lot!

I’m a long-time reader who never comments, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to offer my congratulations! The cover looks great and I’ll definitely be ordering a copy.
And yes, please come to Canada, and to Ottawa more specifically!

Congratulations!!!! I’m so excited for you – and have already placed my order! It’s crazy that you can feel a sense of pride for someone you’ve never met – but I do!! PLEASE come to Philadelphia!!!!! Good luck!!

YAYAYAYAYAY!!! Congratulations on all your success Deb! You are remarkable and deserve every bit of it. I have made so many of your recipes and your series on the wedding cake you made helped me immensely in successfully making my first. I really thank you for that. The only cookbook I’ve ever bought was The Cake Bible, as I’m “frugal”, and everything can be foraged online or given to me by friends, but I am pre-ordering this today (maybe even two). I can not wait to catch you on your book tour! (Los Angeles, please).

I have been super excited for your cookbook for what seems like an insane amount of time, but I take that long time to be a very good thing. Your cookbook will not be a thrown-together mish mash of quick bits and pieces you assembled just to get a book out ASAP. It will be a labor of love, a thoughtful arrangement of things you really, truly want to share with people, and things you took the necessary time to make sure were worthy of being shared. I can’t wait to see your book, but I am really, really glad that I did have to wait. I know it is going to be fantastic.

I cried a tiny tear of happiness while pre-ordering. I’ve been a devoted follower for years, you’ve taught me everything I know in the kitchen. I’m so happy for you!! PLEASE come to Texas! Austin specifically, but I’d drive all over this giant state for a chance to meet you!

It is great to read through all the comments and see so many I agree 100% with – longtime reader of your blog but have never commented, happy to see your familiar kitchen counter figure prominently on the covers of your book… all my most popular recipes come from your blog, they’re the perfect combo of being easy to make and yet still sophisticated and wonderful. Plus you add so much color to the recipes with your writing, it’s so much fun to read, and reminds me of my years in NYC. I recommend your site to everyone, from my 2 year old to my in-laws! SO looking forward to October 30 and to meet you when you come to tour in San Francisco!

whoa! Proud! of! You! Yeah, you don’t know me and I don’t know you, but when I have any sort of important (read: trying to impress super cute guy w my questionable cooking skills) event, YOURS is my go-to site, for something unique, easy, comforting, and wonderful. And cute guy has never been disappointed and keeps coming back for me, I mean more :-) *I* thank you, Cute Guy thanks you. I can’t WAIT to get the book. And I’ve been in anti-cookbook mode lately.

I am pleased to add my congratulations and best wishes to the many, many, many similar posts. You have made me break my vow to never purchase another cookbook. I plan to pre-order soon as I decide between printed book and digital.

Hi Deb! Congrats!!! Super exciting for you, your family and all of your fans! I just pre-ordered my copy! Can’t wait. And I am going to try that french toast recipe this weekend with bacon on the side! Yum

Congratulations! I have used your recipes more times than I can count, and am guilty of referring to you by your first name despite the fact that we have never met (!). I am delighted that your book is finished and I pre-ordered a copy today. It’s the least I could do for reaping the benefits of your beautiful site for the past few years! Can’t wait to see and read all of the lovely recipes. Best to you and enjoy this moment!

Wow, congratulations!! I’m asking for this for Mother’s Day, can’t wait, and I’m so glad you created new stuff, not just a rehash of your site. I can’t believe it’s been 2.5 years though. I joined SK when you were at your old apartment. Time really flies!!!

YAY! I feel like I’ve been waiting with bated breath-but I can hold out alittle longer (begrudgingly). From the covers to the french toast, everything looks flawless and brilliant! I’m especially excited about th ability to have it easily open on my counter!
Congrats!

And since it’s still in the planning stage-you simply must come to Michigan! We adore the gospel of Deb/Smittenkitchen here!

Deb ( aka Apple Queen): Congratulations! I am happy for you. I am gonna preorder mine soon. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes that you have posted in your blog so far, which is not easy when you have a baby that is now a toddler. Thanks for the book too. I am so excited… I barely can wait to read it. Kudos!!!!!

Hi Deb! I love love love your site. Congratulations on the book. Your cook book is a sure hit! I’ll surely order it right away. Your style of writing and the stunning pics make me come back everyday to your site. Wish you the very best in your book promotion!

Congrats on the new book! I have a quick question about this French toast recipe: I am planning a baby shower brunch for a friend. Since it’s a ladies’ brunch party (meaning early start time, no husband at home to help host, and lots of hungry gals, including a mommy-to-be), I really need things that can withstand sitting out on the counter and don’t need much attention at the last minute. In your opinion/experience, do you think this French toast will taste good and keep the right texture at room temperature (as long as it kept out of the syrup), or is it really only at its best warm from the oven? Will the last person to grab a piece after it’s been sitting there for a while bite into something disappointing? Thanks for any tips!

Deb, Congratulations! I love your site, writing, pictures, helpful tips/comments about the receipes so much. When I take a peek at your site I have to make sure it is on a full stomach b/c i will instantly start salivating and feel my stomach growling. Congratulations again and again :D

Congratulations!!! You have really inspired me so much with your stories and recipes over the past 2 years, I can’t wait to get my hands on this cookbook! I impressed the boyfriend with the raspberry buttermilk cake, won over his parents with the strawberry chiffon cake(all 6 layers!), bribed my way into my new (small, studio, but gorgeous) apartment with the chicken tacos and salsa fresca…your recipes never fail! Thanks!

Congratulations, I have followed your blog for years and you are my go to site when looking for a recipe. Writing a book is huge work, almost as huge as making a person, and to do two at once is the biggest of accomplishments. Congratulations again, can’t wait to get the book. I am surely hoping you are coming to Canada.

Deb, I had a question that you may not be able to answer, but would you recommend the Kindle version? Now that I have a Kindle fire, I’m obsessed with how handy it is in the kitchen, but this would be a first in Kindle cookbooks, as I usually have just been using apps and websites.

I haven’t read the almost 500 comments before me, but I’m sure almost all of them say “congratulations!” and I echo that wholeheartedly. You are a cook, photographer, recipe developer, and writer who I truly admire. One of only a very small handful. I want to thank you for continuing inspiration over the years that I have been reading your site and writing my own with your voice, sometimes, in my head. I am the culinary director at Book Larder in Seattle, and we are very excited to do an event with you on your tour. I will look forward to meeting you sometime in the fall!

PLEASE deb, come to vancouver, you are absolutely my cooking idol. I just went through baking my first-ever wedding cake and it was only possible with the guidance of your posts on the very same thing. It was nothing short of a godsend!

Oh Deb, i’m so happy for you!!! I was just thinking the other night, that not once have I made one of your recipes that wasn’t a “keeper”. And I’m obsessively particular about ‘keeper’ recipes, so that’s saying a lot. I hope your book tour is the most fun time of your life (so far), and I’m so happy to have your cookbook to look forward to! -I’m pre-ordering it right now!

Deb–CONGRATULATIONS! I have been reading the blog for what seems like quite a bit of both of our lives, and I can’t wait to start reading the cookbook! Thank you for putting pics with every recipe, even in the cookbook (I can only imagine how that changes the cost)– it is a huge motivator. Off to get my pre-order!

i just found out that my (obviously, BEST) friend has pre-ordered a copy for me and i am SO EXCITED to see what you’ve in store for us, deb. i trust you like no other when it comes to recipes, particularly when it comes to techniques/methods. your careful directions and explanations have mitigated many a disaster/waste-of-ingredients in my kitchen over the years.

Pre-ordered, yay! As I thought, the site was slow yesterday because so many people were buying!! I just looked at Amazon now, and as someone else mentioned above- the book is number one in cooking categories, and #11 in books!! You go, Deb! This blog has been the #1 recipe resource in my house for a while now, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store when I get my hands on the book in October!

Hi Deb! Congratulations on the new book! It looks so good! I can’t wait to get my hands on one soon! I am working on my own book and can relate to how much work and time it could be, yet how much rewarding it is. Do you have any tips on how to get your book published and marketed? Thanks so much, Deb! I’ve been a faithful follower of your food blog and have made many a great dish thanks to you!

You are living the dream indeed. I admit i am not one to run out an buy cookbooks, but i am getting yours. That’s how much i love you.
Also, i get that you really are an obsessive cook- thinking about that previous commenter who said it wasn’t funny. I’m also obsessive.
I read e v e r y s i n g l e comment.
What more is there to say… other than, I’ll see you in Chapel Hill.
Notice i didn’t say Raleigh.
Go take your nap!

Congratulations on finishing the book. I anxiously await your apperance at the local Barnes & Noble to sign my copy.

As for the french toast, I also discovered baked french toast a few years ago and said goodbye to standing over a griddle in a smoky kitchen. It is so simple this way and turns out great every time. As a fellow New Yorker, one thing I must recommend to you though is to replace the white bread with Balthazar’s Brioche Pullman – this bread is so buttery that you could happily eat it completely plain, but it also makes a great french toast. I shave off the crusts on either end of the loaf as thinly as possible (just to help with even absorbtion of the liquid on those slices) and then cut the loaf into 8 thick slices. It makes a great dish for Mother’s Day brunch.

I am usually too shy to comment but I had to congratulate you on this cookbook. I literally welled up with tears of excitement reading about your process and your joy at publishing! I haven’t been this excited about a cookbook in…uh…ever. Hope you make it to Seattle on the tour!

I know that there are 510 comments on here, and that they all say the same thing, and that you’ve already thanked everyone several times, but I could not resist adding to them! I am so beyond pleased for you at this accomplishment. It is such a wonderful thing to see a real life success story. Thanks for putting yourself out there and making the world your friend!

I’m off to pre-order and see if I can help it break the ranks of the Hunger Games books — and then I am going to invite my friends over for a weekend brunch because I know I can make this the night before and alleviate any worries about cooking while hungover. ;)

I HAVE PREORDERED BOOK!!!! Have never done this before but am over the moon to support you and look forward to receiving the book. I am hoping you’ll do a reading/signing at my local bookstore (greenlight in fort greene) and will ask them to schedule one. So pleased for you. have enjoyed the blog for years.

I am following your blog for a long time and I am absolutely buying your book! I would prefer the electronic version though, suitable for ipad/iphone. Any chance you make those available? Thank you for your great work!

Deb, I’ve been following you since way way back in the ivillage days. I’ve made dozens of your recipies (ice box cake anyone? homemade oreos? the crazy peanut butter creamcheese chocolate cake) I just wanted to say, I’m very very happy for you, you’ve worked so hard and deserve it so so much.

I never commented on a blog before, but I wanted to add my congratulations for the book and the great reception you have been enjoying! You totally deserve it. You do great work. I love the photos and your writing. Reading SK is a really enjoyable mini vacation from my hectic and stressful life. Thank you for that. The recipes are a bonus!!

Congratulations, Deb! I’m so excited for you! But even more excited for all the rest of us anxiously awaiting the release next fall. However, it was very cruel of you to tempt us with the amazing tomato shortcakes and then make us wait through prime tomato season and all next winter before we have the best tomatoes to make those delicious-looking bundles.

I’d like to thank you for releasing this book nearly halfway in between my (and Jacob’s!) b-day, and Christmas. It gives me license to preorder for myself, rather than exhibit any kind of restraint and place it on a list of gift ideas. I cannot wait.

And now, a tactical question about the French toast. Is it best lifted out slice by slice, or cut through like a bread pudding? It’s so pretty in the dish and I’d hate to bugger it up in the serving.

Congrats to you. This is – in the words of Diane Keaton in “Baby Boom” – MAJOR BIG!

Gale — Cut it into squares. If you separate the slices, some will be dryer and cinnamon-sugar-crusted (i.e. the top ones) and others will be eggier and crust-free. The crust is the best part. (Also, thank you!)

Congrats congrats congrats!! It looks gorgeous and I can’t wait to see what’s inside. In this day and age of amazing and endless food blogs, I feel a bit weird about spending actual money on cookbooks, never mind pre-ordering them. But not yours – yours I am happily pre-ordering! I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a book coming out since my YA-obsessed teenage years.

1) Metric! Yes, yes, YES. (Especially, since I told myself I will no longer buy cookbooks that only use cups, though – to be totally honest – I would have made an exception for yours).

2) Lay-flat binding! How amazingly wonderful will it be to have a cookbook that stays FLAT on the counter?! Thank you for begging.

3) You know what? This might sound crazy (because, really, I wanted to hold your book in my hands the minute you announced it in 2010), but I love that you DIDN’T rush things. You put so, so, so much into this book – while raising a child and regularly updating this blog (and responding to comments here, on FB, on twitter, on flickr (seriously, does your day have more hours than mine!?! or do you just have the best time management, ever?)), and I just know that it’s going to be the most wonderful cookbook, ever, and completely worth every second of the wait. Obviously, I’m not the only one who knows that, as it’s already gone to straight to #1 three different cookbook categories and I know it’s #12 in general books. On Amazon. HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!?! *I* feel like jumping up and down for you. Did you think your ‘blind dating for apartments’ post would eventually lead you here? Amazing. :)

4) And finally, after all these years of blogging, you’re still humbled by the comments. And that just makes you freakin’ adorable! :)

Pre-ordered!! BRAVO!!! You have single handedly made a whole lot of folks want summer to just rush on by, before it’s even arrived. Who else has that power? No one I know. So happy for you!!! Like everyone else, I can’t wait to get my hands on my very own copy. The cover is hands down the most luscious I’ve ever seen. And the best part? I know what’s inside trumps that.

Congratulations on finishing the book!!! What an incredible undertaking!
What will I do when Smitten Kitchen goes OUT of the kitchen?
As a mom to a 20 month old, thank you for your wisdom and laughter in the kitchen and for your stories in parenthood. Can’t wait for October!

I’ve been following your blog for several years now and you’ve been a huge inspiration to me! Reading about your long journey and sharing in this little moment of your success brings tears to my eyes!!

yay! it’s so lovely…you are endlessly inspirational and i can’t wait to get your book in my hot little hands! also, so pleased to see that this french toast made the cut as your “boozy baked french toast” is in frequent bunch party rotation in my kitchen…double the baileys and add fresh raspberries throughout!
xo

I didn’t know it was possible to be this excited about a cookbook until now. This news makes me so happy! Between your and Luisa’s upcoming cookbooks, I think this fall will be filled with even more baking and cooking than usual. As a mostly-vegetarian, I’m also thrilled to see that there’s a full section of veggie main dishes! And, I’m mildly obsessed with toast, so this version of french-toast looks amazing. In short, this post made my day 3 times over. Congrats!

AmyO — Thank you. And as someone who recently had the honor to read Luisa’s book, I can say with authority: you’ll die. It’s so great. I pretty much didn’t leave my sofa for two days because it would involve stopping reading it.

Beth — Don’t rule it out! The UK and Australian edition has just been picked up by Square Peg, an imprint of Random House UK, and they’ll release a hardcover version in early 2013. There are no plans (yet!) for a tour but if the interest is strong, I am sure it will be considered. And FWIW, I would fly to Australia and the UK in a heartbeat, as soon as I get the green light!

Deb, I use more of your recipes than from any other single source, so I cannot wait for the book. Not only this, but my partner and I just signed a lease on our first apartment, which means for the first time in our lives we’ll have our own (non-roommate-ified) kitchen. I am thrilled, and October 30th is a perfect date for a book to be released. Ordering it now.

Congratulations, Deb! Your blog is a joy, and your recipes, with the careful instructions and photos, have given me the confidence to try things that otherwise would seem too difficult (make a tart? me?). And they’ve turned out, splendidly and beautifully. I know your cookbook will be a smashing success – so, so well deserved.

A doubly big thank you for insisting on at least one photo per recipe.
So many cookbooks underestimate the visual aspect, and how a mouth watering photo can urge us to try a recipe we might not otherwise have attempted.

Mazel Tov Deb!!! Just preordered and I can’t wait. Your cookbook is going to be a work of art (your photos are so beautiful) and your recipes….well! what can I say, – ever since I made your chocolate peanut butter cake and the potato latkes, my friends think I’m amazing and my family knows I am! And after I get your cookbook, they will give me a tiara LOL and I will give them a copy of the book!

Congratulations! And thank you so much for including mainly new recipes. I don’t like it when bloggers publish books that could have been printed out for free! I look forward to that easy-to-use binding as well. :)

What will be different about the UK/Australian version? Just spelling? Available ingredients? Measurements (eg no cups/spoons)? I’m trying to work out if I can wait a whole year more or if I just have to pre-order the American version!

oh deb – congratulations. many of us have been fans for years…you’ve responded to our posts (even on recipes that are YEARS old!), kept new and interesting things coming, and always provided a witty and funny take on food for foodies.
i can’t speak for everyone (although i’m sure most would agree), but way to go and i’ll be ordering the book early!!

Thank you so much for reminding that we can preorder! Literally, the second after I read that, I went onto Amazon and ordered it for $21, what a bargain! Can’t wait for that book and all of it’s geniusness to be in my hands. Also as a side note, would it be any trouble for you to come to Salt Lake City, UT for the tour? It would be awesome since none of my favorite cookbook authors have stopped here.

Seattle? Please? Pretty please? With cinnamon sugar on top? Seriously, you are my go-to source for fantastic recipes, and you have never let me down. I am an avid cook and baker but I own maybe 6 cookbooks. Well, 7 now, because I just pre-ordered yours. I almost never bother because it’s a rare cookbook that offers a serious return on investment, but I didn’t even hesitate. Can’t wait to dive in when the book is out. Congratulations!

I have been waiting for the amazon pre-order page to show the cover for months!!! Hooray! Please, please come to Seattle on your book tour – and be sure to check out The Book Larder when you do…it is literally every cooks dream – and gee – I’m really hoping they’ll host you for a little demo. while you’re here!!

Congrats! Have made many, many smitten recipes over the past two years….

As one of the few guys who seems to read (and cook) your recipes (they show up as RSS feeds on my home page), congratulations! It is nice to have a cookbook to open on the counter, although I pretty much already do have a cookbook of yours, consisting of all the recipes I’ve printed out over the years! Yum yum!

longtime creeper, several time commenter, and definite book pre-orderer! ordered and two-day shipping selecter. can’t wait to have it in my hands on october 30th! congratulations on such a huge accomplishment. proud to be a faithful reader and soon(ish)-to-be sk cookbook owner. :)

I’ve made baked French toast before, but I didn’t think to lay out the bread like that! Looks delicious, and it really is such a convenient dish. I cannot wait to get a copy of your book! I’d pre-order it but I should be moving between now and then (Kansas City! Will you come sign my book?). :)

Canada would be a great addition to your tour – we even have a bookstore dedicated to cookbooks in Vancouver (Barbara Jo’s Books to Cooks), with room in store for demonstrations. My primary reason for liking them, though, is that they give you tea in a proper teacup while you’re browsing.

Oh my gosh! Of all the wonderful bloggy cookbooks coming out right now, Yours is the only one I feel compelled to plop down my money for! And not just for me, but also as a birthday present to my sis (who happens to have an October birthday!). Hope she doesn’t see this comment… :) Congratulations on a long journey well done!!!

Hooray for you, Deb! I am receiving vicarious joy from “watching” you achieve this dream. Yea for abundant photos and lay flat design. Tho at my little copy shop we make money by providing the service of cutting the spines off of books and spiral binding them for that lay flat option. Ditto on the earlier post with an invitation to Alaska. But come later in the tour cuz summer is the very best here! I am not a particularly good cook but your recipies sure inspire. Serving the roasted tomato grilled cheese soup thurs for another of your fans!

Ahhhh!!! Big mazal tov, Deb! Soooo excited – going to pre-order my copy now…not sure when I will get it since I also need to bribe someone to bring it to me in Israel. But. If you do plan a trip to Australia, please visit Perth and I will fly in from Israel to meet you! (My parents live in Perth, so it’s not really as stalker-ish as it sounds.)

Fantastic, going onto Amazon right now, hopefully they’ll ship to me in Ireland, I’m a huuuuge fan, long time reader but never commented, but I love your recipes & your outlook on life, wishing you all the best with the book, keep writing & blogging please!!

SO Excited about your book! and now, even more excited you’ll be in the UK at some point! Question on the recipe though – will using wheat toast instead of white make a difference? (I get the whole milk, butter and sugar don’t do well for a diet anyway, but I usually only purchase brown breads and grains). Thank you!!!!

I’m french and in France we NEVER EAT
or serve or have any french cinnamon toasts !

I discovered them anf loved them immediatly in N.Y.
I have never tried to do some at home, so THANK YOU for your recipe !
I will tried them soon.
And thank you for your site I am a fan, and will try to find your book in Galignani at Paris.

It’s gorgeous! I can’t wait!! Congratulations :)
Can it also be pre-ordered from independent booksellers? I try to avoid the giants. Love those independents — I want to keep my local bookstore in business!

Susan — I have been wondering about this too, how to handle it the best. I … I am still in the thinking stages. You may of course email me, but I do like the idea of a public forum of sorts so that questions don’t have to be answered multiple times. That said, I was recently at a book event at a store and the second the author opened up the floor to questions, someone said “I made xyz recipe and it didn’t come out!” I wanted to hide under the table for her. Of course, I suppose after responding to nearly 150,000 comments over the years, I should be able to handle anything. :)

Deb..Check out Food52’s format for addressing questions regarding site published recipes. All questions and answers from the “hotline” feature can be accessed under the recipe. Maybe you can ask Amanda how they worked that out and adapt it using an index (without including the recipe) on a sidebar on this site. It’s a helpful feature as an FAQ about a particular recipe. Might be too unwieldy, but it’s an idea.

I’ll admit I’m just a lurker on your blog. I actually found it while google-ing one day for a homemade marshmallow recipe. I fell in love at that point and have since then popped in at least once a week to check for new posts. It has honestly become my favorite cooking blog. :)

I just wanted to congratulate you on the new cookbook – I have already placed my order and can’t wait for it to come!

Second, I have my very own copy on pre-order. My husband looked at me like I had lost my mind when I told him I wanted to pre-order a cookbook that wouldn’t ship until the end of October. ‘But Dude, it’s Deb’s cookbook… and it has stuff that’s not on the blog!! Lots of stuff!! I’m not seeing where you’re missing the point…’ :)

Huge, Huge congrats! I just pre-ordered and can hardly wait for October!

One question… Does your cookbook have both US and metric measurements? I know your recipes here do, and even though I live in the US, I much prefer measuring by metric. AND… would also like to give this for a wedding gift to a British friend of mine…

I have never posted anything on your site before but I wanted to let you know that I am overjoyed that you have a cookbook coming! I have been cooking and looking at your site for years and I have hundreds of loose pages of your recipes in my cupboard – thank you for inspiring me in my kitchen. I cannot wait till the fall. Congratulations.

I have been WAITING for your book and I was so happy to pre-order it today! Thank you! Your recipes are savored in my house and I’m excited to bring the book home this fall. Hopefully your book tour will bring you to Baltimore!

Congrats on the book getting completed! I am looking forward to getting a copy…I want to thank you so much for making sure the book lays flat on the counter. I find it so frustrating when I am using a cookbook and I can’t get it to stay open..very much appreciated!

Way to go! Oh I can’t wait to crack open your cookbook and see what secrets lie within. Seriously, when I have an ingredient and no clue what to do with it, I come to your site and 9 times out of 10 you’ve got some incredible recipe that will just work phenomenally. Thanks for your blog, and your book!!

Wow! number 1 in cookbooks already!!..I admit to pre ordering even before there was a cover.Will be ordering 2 more for my goddaughters. Can’t wait to make goat cheese shortcakes with Catapano Farms goat cheese. Now before all the big Festivities start you might be able to take more time on the North Fork. There are now Rhubarb, asparagus, Leeks, Spinach and carrots, and the egg lady has lots of Jumbo eggs..lots of good cooking before the fall..but sure wish you could sneak us that cover recipe while the tomatoes are still around!

Congratulations! Wow, well done – and what a journey! I’ve only just come across your blog (about 4 months ago) and you’ve already become my go-to-cooking-lady-with-delicious-easy-and-super-tasty-recipes. (Which I guess kind of says it all?) Everything I’ve tried, turned out just super (cauliflower soup, chocolate cakes, quiches etc.) I love that! And I’ll be getting your cookbook as soon as I can order it off UK.Amazon (all the way to little Denmark !!). (Oh, and if possible, I adore you even more for including metric meassurement!!)

Very exciting Deb! My mom got the jump on me and my sister and already pre-ordered three, one for each of us! I would think this recipe would also work with sourdough or any other type of bread you prefer, and maybe a bit of orange zest too, but your thoughts would be appreciated!

I have been comfort reading your site for some years. Through a long distance relationship I read your comments and recipes every lunchtime at work thinking of what I would cook when he and I were finally together. Of course I road tested them too and didn’t find them wanting. It helped, believe me. A year ago I moved from Devon (England) to Scotland and the fairy tale became reality thanks for being part of it, you still are and I’m wishing you every success with the book – may you be the Shakespeare of cookery book writers!! I’ve already pre-ordered one for me and one for my best friend.

I am so flipping excited!!! It comes out 2 days after my birthday, so rather than pre-order, I sent the link to my boyfriend and parents and told them to fight it out as to who will be able to buy what I can already guarantee will be my favorite birthday present this year!

Congratulations! My only regret is that I will have to wait until summer 2013 to make that cover recipe with perfect, peak-season tomatoes! I’m sure you’ll have plenty of other gems to keep me busy, but still . . .

Hi Nic — Thank you! Actually, most cooks don’t like cups and spoons. Would you believe that many publishers actually resist putting weights in recipes because they believe it scares off home cooks here? Trust me, I had to push for it. Re, the Netherlands: Right now, only a Canadian and a UK/Australian publisher have signed on. As/if more do, I will definitely keep everyone posted. Thanks.

Hi,congratulations for your terrific book.been following your blog for past 3 years,we dont get all the ingredients here in india,but neverthless,the recipes always turn out great.i am going to start my medicine residency in august but I await your book more eagerly!

Congratulations Deb! I just want to add to the number of people thanking you for insisting on metric weights and measurements. When I have time and an American recipe looks worth it I will convert an ingredients list into weights, but for quick cooking and baking it’s usually easier to stick to UK recipes. It will be great to know all your recipes will be UK-friendly!! Also, I’m sure it’s a massive hassle to add weights to the old recipes on your site but please know that it’s very much appreciated! US publishers if you’re reading this – metric weights are the gateway to the UK market!! We don’t know how you fit butter into a cup, but give us grams and we will bake!

I will actually be able to try the French Toast here at the bottom of the world ! This Sunday to be exact. Thank you for that.

And we are moving back to the US so not only will I find ingredients I miss and be able to cook in a kitchen that is more familiar, I will also be able to run out to a bookstore and get the Smitten Kitchen cookbook !!
yay !!

Congratulations and wishing you many more :) or at least great success with this one. besitos. C

Yay!!! I can’t wait! If I had a dollar for every one of your recipes that has gone into my “keeper” file, I would have enough money to buy the cookbook two or three times over! So excited and congratulations on being all done!!!!!!! :)

Hi Deb,
First congrats – how great to have all that hard work in a finished product! I highly suggest the University Book Store in Seattle for a stop (not only because I work there) but because at 111yrs. old we’re pretty awesome and love our authors. Ok… but an actual question regarding the french toast. I usually like to use brioche or challah. Any reason for the sandwich bread? Have you successfully switched out breads? Thanks!

Hooray!!! I’ve been waiting for this (as many others clearly have, too). I see a suggestion for Seattle. Might I recommend Portland, OR? We’ve got tons of foodies, and Powell’s Bookstore would be a great place to come – I know we’d welcome you with open arms!

WOW! With all these wonderful comments and me coming so late to the party, I hope you’ll be able to answer my question about the recipe. I know you don’t like to add unnecessary steps, so why is it better to butter, sprinkle, lay out and toast 16 slices of bread instead of just mixing the sugar and cinnamon into the custard? Is it worth it? And The Cookbook looks fab. I am longing to hold it and flip the pages.

Hi Carolyn — Cinnamon Toast is a different from French toast with cinnamon and sugar, in the best of ways, IMHO, because the butter, sugar and cinnamon caramelize together first to form a delicious crust on the bread.

Susan — Thank you. You can use any bread you’d enjoy. The sandwich bread was suggested because that’s how cinnamon toast is traditionally made.

Sunny — I haven’t but see no reason that you can’t. As long as you don’t put too much — or so much that it significantly increases the height — I don’t think you need extra custard.

Wow, so exciting that it’s finally (almost) here! A huge congratulations!! And it releases on my birthday! AND in Canada through Appetite – Robert! – whom I adore and have done a few books with myself. So many good signs! Can’t WAIT to see it!

I rememeber how after my first was born, making a dinner felt like a small victory. Writing a cookbook with a baby/toddler in one arm/under your feet – you’re my hero! You should totally be proud to have finished before he has started school :-)
p.s will preorder, also one for my mother and sister…can’t wait!

Been following your blog avidly for sometime now.
Heartiest congratulations on the book being done. Beautiful cover! Must say that the tomato scones and baked French Toast, while sounding fancy, are very appetizing, and could be future classics.
Kudos!

Oh my goodness! I’m so excited for you, and myself for getting to read this book when it comes out! That is such a wonderful achievement! Please please please come to New Zealand, if you went to Australia it would be super easy just to pop over here :) Ah I love you and your blog!:D

I’m late to the party, but I’m so excited and so happy and so very proud of you, because you deserve all of this so so much!!!

1) Lay-flat binding or whatever that awesome thing is called: that is soooooo cool, thanks a million!
2) I love the cover. I love that it’s just simple, lovely food, on your so familiar kitchen counter. Love it. It’s just what I expected from you to choose.
3) But what I love most (perhaps even more than the lay-flat binding, although I’m not sure!) is the subtitle: “Recipes and wisdom from an obsessive home cook”. Yes please. And to rephrase the artist, “Obsessive home cooks of the world, unite and take over”!

Can you tell I’m excited? If not, you can ask the boy. I. Haven’t. Shut. Up. Since. Monday.

Congrats Deb! You should be so proud of yourself! You’ve been an amazing inspiration throughout this last year I’ve been reading and I thank you for that!

Eliza

ps: I wanted to comment after having pre-ordered my copy (oh ok. Copies. 3 of them!), but amazon.fr doesn’t seem to want me to, it says that the book (hardcover) is “Currently unavailable”, no pre-order as an option. I can always order on amazon.com, just thought I should let you know, because I can see no reason they won’t take pre-orders (German and British amazon do, I checked!)

I don’t even know you but in some way through the power of your writing and connecting – I do. I am an absolute regular (I look and I cook) though I am too shy to ever have posted. But the sense of pride, accomplishment and joy are greater than my reticence – it brought tears to my eyes – I feel so glad for you. Mazel tov.

Hi Deb and Congratulations!!! It’s going to be a looong summer anticipating the arrival of your masterpiece! So glad it will be out just before the holidays. I just pre-ordered mine – sooo very excited!

Congrats on the book – can’t wait to get it. DEB: I actually enjoy my French toast 2 ways. I usually have a savory one first – I sprinkle salt on it and its so delicious … then for my 2nd helping I use maple syrup.

I really don’t “do” cookbooks because I try to be wildly unique and creative on my own, with hopes to have a blog one day too, BUT I AM SO FREAKIN EXCITED TO GET MY HANDS ON YOURS! Your blog is my favorite, and I’ve preached the smitten gospel to many since I found it two years ago. Thanks for all the recipes, and congrats on the book finally publishing, and exactly how you wanted it; it’s worth the wait no doubt. I hope you will be in CT for the book signing, but if not I’ll probably come to NY for it anyway! Cheers

Deb – Congratulations!! Sounds like you really have something to be proud of here. I’ve been reading your blog for almost 4 years now (although this is the first time I have commented) and have been anxiously waiting to get my hands on your cookbook ever since you first announced it. Thank you for putting so much time into smitten kitchen! Personally, your blog has really helped me discover my own love and inspiration for cooking. I moved out on my own at a pretty young age, but I must say that cooking your recipes for friends and family since then has taught me nearly everything I know and given me some great memories along the way as well.

Yay, I am so excited! I just preordered – I never buy cookbooks, but yours I must have. Every recipe I’ve ever tried from your site (and I have tried a lot of them!) has been fabulous! My birthday is just 2 weeks after the cookbook comes out, and I know where I’ll be getting recipes for my birthday dinner and dessert! Really, really hoping you’ll be in Massachusetts for the book tour! And is it weird to tell you that on a recent trip to NYC, buying donuts at the Doughnut Plant, which I have wanted to go to forever, I kept hoping maybe you and Jacob would walk in?

Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Will preorder the book, and can’t wait for October.
Thank you for posting this recipe. I once tried baked french toast at a B&B somewhere in new England and couldn’t get it out of my head ever since. But not having good guide lines to follow, never attempted it at home; now will do as soon as we have some family stay over. Oh, the one I tried actually had slices of apples baked between the rows of bread; it was amazing!

Hi Deb, I hope you come to Denver!! Just one question about the recipe: when you say “butter the toast” do you mean both sides? I read all your comments so I don’t think anyone has asked this in the 600+ comments! ;)

Jean, Elisha — Nope, nobody asked! Just one side, though nobody would complain if you over-buttered the toast. I promise, the version of this recipe that’s in the book is better edited. (I mentioned earlier up, but the manuscript is no longer with me so I cobbled this together from the original draft, hence the spottiness!)

I haven’t commented on any of your posts before, but I’ve been following your food blog for about a year now. You always have amazing things and they’re so tasty and occasionally very strange but so much better for it.

Your food blog has inspired me to start compiling my own recipes in a blog (though I haven’t actually gotten around to it yet). I love cooking and baking so much and I always know that I can come here if I’m looking for something perfect. Sometimes tabs to this website sit in my browser for several weeks until I can finally make them and I’m so happy when I do! I admire what you’ve done and I’m so proud that you’ve published your recipe book, I’ll definitely be ordering one! I look forward to many more delicious recipes in the future and your wonderful comments!

Molly: I’m a literary agent. If you can, pre-order book via an independent bookseller, or buy in person (Brookline Booksmith comes to mind). If not, pre-order, and give that copy to your mother. or neighbor. or friend. And show up to her signing, and buy book for yourself so you can get it signed in person. This is the best way to help her sales . ..and she seriously deserves whatever help we, the consumers can give her, with all her awesomeness and generosity. I stalk this site daily, and cook from it weekly. Kudos, SK. Congratulations. xo

I JUMPED out of my chair and danced when I read about the news for the book! I’ve been looking forward so much to it since you first announced. Congrats! Your blog got me baking and cooking as an undergrad living abroad. You’re still the standard when I need to bake or cook, especially now as I plod through the end of my Masters degree program! World Peace Cookies = stress relief/study break. Thanks for sharing your life with us! Oh, and can’t wait to do the french toast. I made the creme brulee french toast for Valentine’s Day this year and will never go back to old ways!

Lise — Yes! I can see it now. “The water must be fizzy and monsieur Jacob expects all apples to be peeled, cored, and sliced. Or else!”

Mikaela — Actually 1 1/2 now. I removed one this morning. It had it coming.

atbookfreakchick — Thank you.

Molly — I’m sorry, I still owe you an answer and I promise, we’re working on a solution that will allow you to preorder if you wish but not ever miss out on having that copy signed if you go to see me (and I hope you do!) at a store that would prefer you purchase a copy there. We also don’t want